On Friday morning, the Washington Capitals announced a five-year, $25 million extension with center Dylan Strome.
Strome, 25, signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Caps after the Blackhawks opted to not make him a qualifying offer. The Blackhawks acquired him in a November trade that sent Nick Schmaltz to Arizona and he immediately blew up in Chicago when he was reunited with his junior teammate, Alex DeBrincat.
Initially the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Strome appeared in 225 games over parts of four seasons with Chicago. He finished his time with the Blackhawks with 60 goals and 94 assists, which is a decent resume.
But his struggles in the faceoff circle and defensive issues led to healthy scratches last year; he spent time in Jeremy Colliton’s doghouse over a couple years before Colliton was replaced by Derek King. In his final season with the Blackhawks, Strome showed a significant improvement in the faceoff circle.
The new Blackhawks’ front office opted to not bring him back, and didn’t trade him for the limited/no assets that were on the table at last year’s trade deadline. He bet on himself in free agency this past summer with the one-year, prove-it deal and it paid off. After scoring 22 goals for the Blackhawks last year, he has 11 goals and 25 assists in 52 games in Washington this season.
Good for Strome for getting the financial and home stability he desired.